"Rest," Yoriichi instructed. "Wash the beast blood from your skin. The scent will attract larger predators if we carry it deeper into the trench. I will secure the perimeter."
Xiao Yu nodded gratefully. While Yoriichi walked a respectful distance away, taking a position atop a high ridge that overlooked the waterfall and the surrounding forest, Xiao Yu quickly stripped off her torn, blood-stained outer uniform. Clad only in her light, inner silk bindings, she slipped into the freezing pool.
The icy water was a shock to her system, but it instantly soothed her aching muscles. She rigorously scrubbed the dried gore and grime from her skin and hair, using a faint layer of her water-attribute Dou Qi to extract the deep-seated dirt.
After ten minutes of thorough cleaning, she stepped out, using her Dou Qi to rapidly evaporate the moisture from her body and her spare, clean set of academy robes.
She walked up the ridge, finding Yoriichi sitting cross-legged on a flat stone, his eyes closed in light meditation. Beside him lay a small pile of high-nutrient ration bars and a thermos of fresh water.
Xiao Yu sat down beside him, grabbing a ration bar and tearing into it ravenously.
"You did well against the Thorn-Tiger," Yoriichi said suddenly, his eyes still closed. "Your reaction time to its tail-whip was optimal. You did not panic when it breached your primary guard."
Xiao Yu paused her chewing, a surge of pride warming her chest. Praise from Yoriichi was rarer than a Heavenly Flame.
"Thank you, Ning'er," she smiled softly. She swallowed her food and looked down at the rushing waterfall below them. "This place... it's brutal. It's completely different from the sparring rings. Out here, the beasts don't care about rules or face. They just want to eat you."
"That is the reality of the world," Yoriichi replied calmly, opening his crimson eyes. "The academy is a greenhouse. It grows beautiful, delicate flowers. But when a storm comes, the greenhouse shatters. You must be a tree with deep roots."
"That makes sense," Xiao Yu said, her voice thoughtful as she traced a pattern on the smooth stone beside her. "It's just... the Outer Academy Grand Tournament officially begins in next week. The entire campus is in a frenzy over it. The top factions are scouting, and the upperclassmen are tearing each other apart for the top fifty spots to earn better Qi-gathering rooms."
She looked down at her hands, the faint calluses from her whip training now visible on her palms. "A part of me wanted to register. I wanted to step into the ring and test these new forms against those arrogant seniors who looked down on us on the first day. Prove to them how much stronger I've gotten. But I am still in Dou Zhe albeit newly seven-stars."
Yoriichi turned his head to look at her. He didn't offer a comforting platitude; he offered cold, martial reality.
"An academy tournament is a performance, Sister," Yoriichi explained, his tone gentle but absolute. "There are referees standing by to intervene before a lethal blow lands. There are strict rules prohibiting the targeting of vital organs, the use of lethal poisons, or striking a downed opponent. It breeds a false sense of security."
Xiao Yu bit her lower lip, her hands tightening into fists on her lap as she absorbed his words. She thought back to the beast from an hour ago—how it had viciously targeted her throat the moment she slipped on a mossy rock, without a referee to halt the match.
"If you fight in that arena, you will only learn how to score points," Yoriichi continued. "You will not learn how to survive. The beasts and the mercenaries in this trench do not care about tournament rules, point deductions, or saving face. If you make a mistake out here, you bleed. Facing true, unadulterated killing intent is the only crucible that will force your Dou Qi and your reflexes to evolve."
"You are right," Xiao Yu said, her voice steadying with sudden clarity. She looked him directly in the eyes. "Beating up a sheltered senior in a sanctioned ring won't help me perfect the Water Breathing forms. I don't need a cheering crowd; I need to survive the wild. I'll ignore the tournament and focus entirely on this."
Yoriichi's expression softened infinitesimally. A faint, genuine smile touched his lips.
"Water is formless, Sister," Yoriichi advised profoundly, gesturing to the cascading falls below them. "It can be a gentle stream that nourishes life, or a crushing tidal wave that shatters mountains. Do not become rigid in your training. Adapt to whatever obstacle the world throws at you. If you do that, you will indeed become a true expert."
Xiao Yu smiled brightly, her Dao heart firm and resolute.
They finished their rations in a comfortable, companionable silence, listening to the soothing roar of the Silver Veil Falls. After resting for another half-hour to allow their Dou Qi to fully replenish, they stood up, preparing to pack their supplies and delve slightly deeper into the trench for the afternoon.
"We will head south toward the jagged ridges," Yoriichi instructed, tying a small satchel to his waist. "There is a high probability of encountering a Rank 3 beast. If we do, you will stand back. I will handle—"
Rustle.
It was an incredibly faint sound, barely louder than a falling leaf hitting the damp earth. It came from the dense canopy of ancient trees directly across the waterfall.
Yoriichi stopped speaking instantly.
His eyes widened slightly, and a profound, chilling seriousness descended over his features. The tranquil, mentoring brother vanished, instantly replaced by the peerless Grandmaster.
His Transparent World vision snapped to maximum output. He bypassed the visual obstruction of the leaves, the mist, and the heavy trunks.
He didn't see the erratic, crimson flow of a magical beast's heart. He saw the highly refined, rhythmic circulatory system of a human cultivator. And radiating from that human was an intense, suffocating aura of absolute, targeted bloodlust.
'Fast,' Yoriichi noted internally, his hand blurring toward the hilt of his katana. 'Too fast for a Dou Zhe. A Dou Shi assassin? No... the kinetic density of their leg muscles is too high.'
"Sister, behind me!" Yoriichi commanded, his voice a sharp crack of authority.
Before Xiao Yu could even process the sudden command, the canopy exploded.
Leaves and shattered branches rained down as a phantom-like image flashed from the shadows. The figure moved at a terrifying, blinding speed, entirely bypassing the gap over the waterfall in a single, explosive bound.
A glint of cold, lethal steel caught the sunlight, aimed directly at Yoriichi's neck.